Many gardeners, in addition to vegetables and herbs, also grow various spicy herbs on their site. At the same time, oregano, which is also called oregano, is very popular with them. It is used in the preparation of various spicy dishes, and an excellent tea is made from this aromatic herb. In addition, oregano scares away most pests from the garden with its smell, and it also looks quite impressive during flowering.
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Features of oregano
In the people, the spicy herb oregano is also called incense, or mother, or oregano. The height of this perennial can vary from 0.3 to 0.7 m. This plant has a powerful root system, so it is able to rapidly capture new areas, quickly spreading over the site. Egg-shaped small leaf plates have a pointed tip. During flowering, the bush can be decorated with inflorescences of various flowers, because today there are more than two dozen decorative varieties of this plant.
Healing properties
Oregano belongs to medicinal plants. It has the following beneficial properties:
- By acting on the nervous system, the plant helps to improve sleep and general well-being, and it also eliminates headaches.
- Improves the functioning of the digestive system, and also promotes an increase in appetite.
- It has a positive effect on the respiratory system, while significantly improving well-being, even with bronchitis.
- Promotes the healing of female organs: helps with delays in menstruation, improves well-being during menopause and PMS.
- Relieves stomatitis.
- Heals the skin: helps with dermatitis in adults and diathesis in children.
Oregano has also found application in human everyday life. For example, they put it in a closet to scare away moths. It is also used as a spice for various dishes, such as pizza. And oregano is also added to jars during the preservation of vegetables. And also fragrant and healthy tea is obtained from it. This plant, plus everything, is an excellent honey plant, and excellent honey is obtained from it.
The first flowering of such a plant is observed in the second year of growth, while it is repeated every year. When the flowers wither, fruits will form in their place, which are small rounded nuts.Each fruit contains a huge number of incredibly small seeds: 0.1 gram contains about 1,000 seeds.
Planting oregano in open ground
Seat selection
When choosing a suitable place for sowing oregano, attention should be paid to the fact that it must fully meet all the requirements, but the most close attention should be paid to the composition of the earth. The fact is that in a fertile soil, the foliage of a plant is capable of accumulating a large amount of useful substances.
Choose a sunny spot for oregano. The fact is that the stems of the bushes growing in the shade are elongated, and the foliage does not have its characteristic rich aroma. The type of soil for a plant does not really matter, because it can easily take root almost anywhere. However, if you are going to grow oregano as a perennial, then select an area for it with soil saturated with nutrients, and it should be systematically moistened. Areas where moisture often stagnates in the soil, or excessively dry areas cannot be used for the cultivation of this perennial, because there it may degenerate into a common weed, or it may even die.
Do not forget to start preparing the site in the autumn, for this, compost or manure should be added to the soil in the selected area, in extreme cases, saltpeter can also be used to fertilize the soil.
Florists are also trying to grow oregano, but not outdoors, but on a window. It grows well there, but just to get raw materials of satisfactory quality, it needs to be cultivated for at least two years. The fact is that this perennial blooms only in the second year of the growing season.
Growing through seedlings
As a rule, oregano is grown from seeds, and most gardeners prefer the seedling method of reproduction. And that's all, because the appeared small immature seedlings in the open field are easily clogged with weeds. Therefore, in the spring it is recommended to grow seedlings of a fragrant perennial at home, and it will be possible to plant them in the ground at the end of spring or at the beginning of summer.
In order for the seedlings to be strong and well-developed, you need to sow the seeds in a timely manner. You can sow oregano for seedlings already in March, and use a seedling box or ordinary plastic pots for this. If you delay sowing, then by the time the seedlings need to be planted in the garden, they will still be very weak.
The containers selected for growing seedlings are filled with a fertile substrate. You can buy it at the store, but do not forget to add a small amount of sand to it. Moisten the soil mixture with a sprayer and lightly tamp the surface. Then rows are made in it, into which the seed is evenly distributed. The seeds are sown to a depth of about 10 mm. The first seedlings, as a rule, appear only after 1.5–2 weeks. Do not forget to put crops on a sunny window, while the air temperature should be from 20 to 22 degrees. If desired, containers with crops can be covered with glass or foil on top, but this is not necessary. The seedlings that have emerged from the ground are very thin and delicate. However, after a while they will grow up and become stronger.
Sowing in open ground
It is possible to sow oregano seeds directly into the garden bed only in the last days of May, in well-warmed soil. First, dig the area and remove all weeds from it. Make rows on the garden bed, the width between which should be about 0.45 m. Seeds are sown quite thickly.
Seedling care
While the seedlings are small, they are very sensitive to weeds. The fact is that the grass can easily drown out tender sprouts, and they will die.In this regard, seedlings growing in pots should be systematically examined, pulling out all the weeds. And if the seedlings grow in open ground, then special attention should be paid to this procedure. If the oregano has sprung up too thickly, then do not forget to thin it out, only in this case the seedlings will grow powerful and well-developed.
Seedlings need regular watering, which is carried out using a sprayer. The fact is that during normal watering, delicate seedlings can be washed out, which will lead to their death. And when spraying, the plants will not suffer and receive a sufficient amount of moisture. For growing seedlings, only a well-lit window sill is suitable, and the container with them should be systematically turned so that the bushes are not one-sided.
It will be possible to cut the seedlings into individual containers only after they have formed two or three true leaf plates. The bushes planted in time will be able to grow and get stronger until the moment when you are going to plant them in the garden. For a pick, you can use peat pots if you want. When planting seedlings, the root system is not removed from such pots, but bushes are planted with them.
You can start planting mature seedlings in open ground in the second half of May. For this, it is better to choose a cloudy day. Do not forget to moisturize the planted plants in a timely manner.
Oregano care
During the first year of growth of oregano, good and timely care should be provided, special attention should be paid at this time to weeding, watering and fertilizing.
Watering
Such a culture does not particularly need regular watering, but at the same time, the soil should not be allowed to dry out completely. In this regard, the soil should be moistened as needed, when its surface dries out.
Oregano can damage the stagnant fluid in the root system. Particular attention should be paid to this during lingering rains. In this regard, it is recommended to make not very large indentations around the bushes in the ground.
Fertilizer
Oregano should start feeding in early spring, and it will also need nutrients after harvesting. During the first year of growth, young bushes do not need additional fertilizers, since they have enough nutrients in the soil prepared since autumn. Starting from the second year of growth, feeding the bushes should be carried out regularly. In early spring, when the bushes are just starting to wake up, it is recommended to feed them with a small amount of mullein solution or saltpeter. In the summer, you can also use the same fertilizers. Oregano, cultivated as an ornamental plant in a flower bed, does not need additional fertilizing, as because of them the bushes begin to grow actively, which makes them less decorative.
Weeding and loosening
The soil in the garden with oregano should be constantly slightly loosened. During the first year of growth, while the bushes are still very weak, they should be systematically weeded. The fact is that oregano does not grow very quickly, and the weed grows rapidly on the nutritious soil and begins to suppress the plant. However, after the perennial bushes get stronger and grow up, they will no longer be afraid of any grass. If you want to water the oregano garden less often and reduce the number of weeding, then cover its surface with a layer of mulch (straw).
Please note that if flowers appear on the bushes during the first year of growth, then they must be cut off. The fact is that they take away a lot of strength from a young plant, and it is still weak.
Wintering
Oregano is highly resistant to frost. In this regard, he does not need shelter for the winter. If the snow falls early in the fall, then when it melts in the spring, you can still see green leaves on the bushes.
Transfer
In one place, such a perennial can be grown for about two decades.But in the case when oregano is grown to obtain medicinal raw materials, its transplant to a new place should be carried out regularly: 1 time in 5 years. Anything can be planted on the site freed from oregano, and be sure that in this place the culture will not be afraid of both diseases and pests. The fact is that oregano contributes to the death of pathogenic bacteria and pests in the soil.
Pruning
To improve the growth of bushes, experienced gardeners advise in the spring to break off some of the stems left over from last year. New, more powerful shoots will soon begin to grow, while the foliage on them will be very dense.
Reproduction methods
How to propagate oregano by the seed (generative) method was described in great detail above. However, vegetative methods are also used to propagate this plant.
Dividing the bush
Remove a mature, overgrown shrub from the soil and divide it into a couple of pieces. Be very careful, because after dividing the shoots must remain intact, and also the root system cannot be seriously damaged.
Layers
If you need layering oregano, then during the entire growing season, select individual powerful stems, bend them to the soil surface and add drip. Over time, they should all take root of their own. With the onset of next spring, chop off a new bush with a sharp shovel and plant it in a new permanent place.
It is recommended to transplant to a new place, whether layering, or even delenki, in spring or in the first weeks of autumn. In this case, the bushes will have enough time to root well in a new place before the onset of frost.
Collecting oregano
The best time to harvest raw materials is during the flowering period, which most often occurs in July. Please note that you can only pick 3 stems from one bush, reaching about 20 centimeters in length. Plucking more shoots can damage the plant.
The cut shoots are tied in bunches and hung in a well-ventilated place to dry. If desired, the stems can be dried and spread in a thin layer on paper sheets, but in this case they will need to be turned over regularly. When the branches are completely dry, tear off all the foliage from them, put it in a glass jar and seal it with a lid. The remaining bare shoots just need to be thrown away. When stored properly, dried oregano leaves have a shelf life of 2 years.
Seed collection
If you want to collect seeds from oregano bushes, then you need to do this in September, when they are fully ripe. Leave some of the strongest and most developed stems on the bushes during harvest for quality seed in July. In the fall, trim these shoots along with the seed pods and dry them well. Then rub them with your hands and sift using a sieve. Seeds, if necessary, need to be dried. For storage, they are folded in paper bags, which are removed in a dry, dark place.
Types of oregano with photos and names
Despite the fact that the genus of oregano includes more than fifty species, gardeners and gardeners prefer to cultivate varieties of this plant on their plots, of which there are also quite a few. The fact is that when breeding them, breeders try to lay down special aromatic and taste qualities or resistance to drought, frost, etc.
Oregano (Origanum vulgare)
The height of such a herbaceous perennial varies from 0.5 to 0.7 m. Its root is well branched and creeping. The lower part of erect shoots is covered with soft hair. In this case, the upper part of the stems is strongly branching. Ovate or oval foliage, oppositely located, has petioles. It is painted in a dark green shade, and its length can vary from 10 to 40 mm. Flowering is observed from June to July.At the tops of the shoots, as well as in the upper leaf axils, dense shields are formed, consisting of fragrant flowers. Their petals are pinkish, and their cups are dark purple. The best varieties:
- White oregano... It blooms magnificently, the flowers are white.
- Caramel. It has a bright rich aroma and a very pleasant taste.
- Fragrant bunch... A low (about 0.3 m) bush has a pungent smell, the flowers are light purple.
- Rainbow... The height of the bush is about 0.6–0.7 m, its rich purple foliage includes many useful anthocyanins.
- Gold tip... The height of a dwarf plant is from 10 to 15 centimeters, the shoots are covered with small leaf plates of green color with yellowish tops. The flowers are pinkish.
- Aureum... The height of the bush is about 25 cm. The flowers are yellow, and the foliage is golden.
Cretan oregano (Origanum dictamnus)
On average, a bush reaches a height of 20 to 30 centimeters, but in some cases a perennial can be up to a meter high. On hard stems, leafy plates with silver pubescence flaunt. Their shape is oval, almost round. Very small pinkish flowers are collected in inflorescences, which are covered with pinkish-green larger bracts. They are formed on a flexible peduncle and outwardly are very similar to hop cones. In this variety, the juice has a powerful antibacterial effect. Moreover, since the time of Hippocrates, it has been used for pain in the stomach.
